Today I'm going to try (again) to slip out the door for half an hour to get a sandwich at a local coffee shop. The place just opened recently and seems to be doing a good business, even though it's off the beaten path. They make all of their sandwiches in-house and bake their own pastries. I'm trying to support them as much as I can, since truly local coffee shops have become such a rarity.
Today's G&L is as deep into the early days as you can get: a 1980 L-1000 with neck and body dated before official G&L production began.
Fans of Leo-era basses rave about the MFD humbuckers from '81 through '83 that had slotted pole pieces. This L-1000 has an even earlier type, with pole pieces designed to be adjusted with an Allen wrench. The large MDF humbuckers from 1983 through the present also have hex pole pieces, but they are designed for a much smaller Allen wrench.
One other feature unique to the earliest G&Ls is a one-piece neck with a skunk stripe, which was used from '80 until the bicut necks entered production in mid-'82:
Aside from the pickups and necks, the other features that make these early L-1000s stand out are the mahogany body and treble cut circuit (also called the "OMG switch"). These add up to a massive low end response. This L-1000 and the B-15 that you're all probably sick of hearing me talk about are a match made in bass guitar heaven.
G&L topic: What is your favorite pairing of a G&L and amp? Do you find that some G&L goes really well with a specific amp, or one amp goes well with your G&L(s)?
Non-G&L topic: Jamie recently asked me in another thread whether the B-15 is my holy grail amplifier. It definitely is. I never expected to see one of these in person, much less own one. I have no remorse at all about the trade I made for it. What is your holy grail amp? Have you had the chance to play one?
Ken
